QBullet: Pak’s ‘Joint Statement’ on J&K; Gadkari Traffic Fines
Here are the top stories of the day.
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1. Pakistan Claims Backing of 60 Countries on Its Jammu and Kashmir Statement
Pakistan has submitted to the UNHRC a “joint statement” on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which it said was supported by some 60 countries that it didn’t publicly identify, triggering questions about the backing for the move.
The text of the statement was posted on the website of the Foreign Office after it was delivered to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, but Pakistan did not identify the nations purportedly supporting it.
A member of the Pakistani delegation at the UNHRC in Geneva said a list of these countries would be handed over to the Indian delegation, but people familiar with developments said this hadn’t happened.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. ‘Fines for Safety, Not Revenue; States Can Make Cuts’: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday, 11 September, defended the recent increase in traffic fines, even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee joined Gujarat in announcing that her government will not implement the revised penalties to save people from the additional burden.
Chief Minister of Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa, also indicated in Bengaluru that his government may revise the penalties after getting the Gujarat government order. In Maharashtra, which is ruled by a coalition of the BJP and Shiv Sena, State Transport Minister Diwakar Raote said the revised fines were not being implemented immediately as he had requested the Centre to reconsider them.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. ‘Unprecedented, Atrocious’, Says Chandrababu Naidu Locked up at Home
Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his lawmaker son Nara Lokesh have been put under house arrest to prevent them from participating in a huge protest against the ruling state government headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The former chief minister, on hunger strike, termed the police action as “atrocious” and “unprecedented in history.”
The police stopped Naidu and his son Lokesh, who is an MLC, when they were heading to Atmakur village in Palnadu region in Guntur district along with 127 families, who were allegedly assaulted and hounded out of the region by the ruling YSR Congress ranks last month.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. ‘Militant Build-Up Across LoC & Border, Many Attempts to Infiltrate’: J&K Police
Announcing that a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant involved in a recent attack on a fruit merchant’s home in Sopore was gunned down in an encounter, Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh said Wednesday that there were “many reports” of cross-border infiltration which police were trying to verify.
“Yes, there have been many reports of infiltration being attempted in certain areas, Rajouri and Poonch they tried, Gurez they tried, Karnah and Keran they tried, Gulmarg sector they tried… there are reports … there is no denying the fact… and we are trying to confirm them,” Singh said at a press conference in Srinagar.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Site Decided, Govt Clears Mega Solar Project in Leh and Kargil
The decks have been cleared for a Rs 50,000 crore grid-connected solar photo-voltaic project spread across Leh and Kargil districts — the single biggest investment proposal in the region since Ladakh was designated as a Union Territory.
Union Power Minister RK Singh told The Indian Express that the Centre has finalised the sites for the solar project, alongside the implementation details of a crucial transmission link to ensure the viability of the project. Pang, about 117 km from Leh, has been finalised as the revised site for a major chunk of the 7,500 MW solar project after an earlier proposed site ran foul of environmental norms.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Chinmayanand Case: Day After ‘Video’, Student’s Father Says Recorder Taken Away
A day after a purported video clip of BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand getting a massage from a girl while he was naked surfaced on social media, the family of the Shahjahanpur law student, who has alleged that the former Union minister raped her and sexually assaulted her for a year, said on Wednesday, 11 September, that some of the evidence she had collected against him was missing from her hostel room.
The law student had earlier said that she had evidence against Chinmayanand in her hostel room, which was sealed. On Monday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up to investigate the case, opened the hostel room, in the presence of the student and her father.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Word ‘Cow’ Shocks Many, It's Unfortunate: PM Modi
"Some people" get a shock at hearing words like "cow" and "Om" and it is unfortunate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today as he launched a disease prevention programme for livestock at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
"Some people, if they hear words like 'gaay' (cow) and Om, their hair stands on end. They feel that the country has gone back to the 16th century. Can one talk about rural economy without animals?" PM Modi asked as he launched the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) along with other schemes for farmers.
(Source: NDTV)
8. Gujarat To Karnataka, BJP States Lead Charge Against New Traffic Fines
Days after the Union Government prescribed steep penalties for traffic offenders under an amended law, a number of states across the country have decided to slash them in their respective jurisdictions on "humanitarian" grounds. Ironically, leading the charge in this regard are BJP-ruled states.
Gujarat's Vijay Rupani government was the first to reduce the fines prescribed under the amended Motor Vehicles Act on Tuesday, bringing it down to as low as 10% of the actual amount for some offences. Other BJP-ruled states such as Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka came up with similar announcements soon afterwards, indicating that they may also consider making drastic changes at their end if the Union Government does not reconsider - or at least scale down - the newly prescribed penalties that could well become a burden on the people.
(Source: NDTV)
9. ‘Amazed’, Tweets P Chidambaram From Jail, On Interacting With ‘The Poor’
Former Union minister P Chidambaram may be in Tihar Jail but that hasn't stopped him from being active on Twitter. The veteran Congress leader said he was "deeply concerned about the economy" in a message posted on his official account this morning.
"I am deeply concerned about the economy. The poor are the worst affected. Lower incomes, fewer jobs, less trade and lower investment affect the poor and the middle class. Where is the plan to get the country out of this decline and gloom?" the former Home and Finance Minister's tweet read.
(Source: NDTV)
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